Newsletter. Agriculture & Natural Resources. Bale Grazing ROWAN COUNTY. Summer Summer 2018

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1 ROWAN COUNTY Agriculture & Natural Resources Newsletter Summer 2018 Cooperative Extension Service Rowan County 600 West Main Street Morehead, KY Fax: (606) Summer 2018 Bale Grazing This is a winter feeding practice intended to help build soil fertility and productivity. Nutrients and organic matter in manure and wasted hay are more evenly distributed as animals are given limited access to bales using portable electric fence. I don t know that it s a fit for everyone, but it might be something to consider. It will be interesting to see how this area grows back this spring/summer. UK College of Ag, Food, and Environment has a couple good You Tubes on bale grazing, and I got the idea from Extension Specialist Greg Halich. Bales were put out in late December when the ground was frozen What it looked like in late February What it looks like now OBSERVATIONS Frost seeding clovers immediately after moving to the next bale has been slow to establish, but starting to come on. Cows/calves weren t struggling in mud at any time There is a definable dollar fertilizer value per cow from her manure and urine and this is more evenly distributed Soil compaction and rutting due to equipment movement can be reduced/eliminated

2 Field Trips to UK South Farm and UK Soil Testing Lab I didn t get pictures of these educational field trips, but the purpose was to show vegetable growers how hi tunnels work and a homeowner how the soil test lab operates. Hi tunnels can extend the growing season by weeks and for the right crops months. Soil testing is a proven way to apply optimal amounts of lime and fertilizer. A take away is that these types of learning activities can be educational, fun, and are pretty easy to arrange. Both trips were requested by people here in the county and it would be good to do more of that type of thing. Hi- tunnel UK Publication ID-235 Bermudagrass Sports Turf Demonstration Members of a croquet group, the city, and UK Extension are working on a demonstration on establishing Bermudagrass to be used for sports turf. The fellows at Parks and Recreation Sean Craft, Matt Hamilton and Dan Fultz applied a burndown herbicide treatment in late March and seed bed prep and seeding is anticipated in late May or early June. I think the goal here is to see if Bermuda provides a better playing surface, and it will be interesting to see. This has been a new type of project for me and thanks to everyone involved for taking an interest.

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7 Animal Shelter Operations Training Josh Brown and Amy Staton demonstrate techniques on administering medications as part of an Animal Shelter Operations Training program. The annual training has been offered for several years with the purpose of providing professional training to animal care workers and promote animal welfare. Other speakers included Frank Ruggiero from the Jessamine County Animal Shelter and Carey Brown from Kentucky Cattlemen s Association. ROWAN COUNTY FARMERS MARKET Rowan County Farmers Market typically opens in mid-june. Days/hours of operation are Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 11:00 A. M. A new effort by the market is participation in the Community Farm Alliance Double Dollars Program. DD is intended to leverage the value of WIC and Senior FMNP coupons resulting in increased consumption of healthy food and increased sales for local farmers. QUESTION AND ANSWER Your farm and lawn and garden questions are always welcome. A. Q. Should I be giving magnesium to my cows? A. Yes. This fellow s calving season starts very soon and he s been top dressing silage with a form of magnesium to avoid grass tetany problems. Feeding a high magnesium mineral containing 15% magnesium in the form of magnesium oxide (MgO) at the rate of 4 oz per head per day is recommended. Top dressing might be OK, but I d probably suggest just feeding it free-choice to help make sure cows are getting enough. Older cows in early lactation grazing lush spring pasture is the situation to be especially careful about, although grass tetany can also be a problem whenever magnesium is short in the diet. Feeding a good quality mineral is a good practice. Contact for complete University of Kentucky Beef Mineral Recommendations.

8 NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID CITY, KY PERMIT #113 Rowan County Extension Office 600 West Main Street Morehead, KY RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Civil Right Compliant Statement: The College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the bases of race, color, ethnic origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. Inquiries regarding compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other related matter should be directed to Equal Opportunity Office, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Room S-105, Agriculture Science Building, North Lexington, Kentucky Sincerely, Bob Marsh County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources